WTA China Open: Maria Sharapova beats Petra Kvitova to seal her fourth title of the year
Sunday 5 October 2014 19:11, UK
Maria Sharapova secured her first title since she claimed victory at Roland Garros earlier this year as she outlasted Petra Kvitova to win the China Open.
It was a battling performance from the Russian world No 4, who will rise to number two in the rankings following a hard-fought 6-4 2-6 6-3 win in Beijing.
Victory came just five months after the Russian was one defeat away from dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since 2011.
Kvitova beat Eugenie Bouchard to win the Wuhan Open last week, but she could not make it back-to-back tournament wins as she suffered her first loss in nine matches.
Fourth-seeded Sharapova, who captured her fifth grand slam title at the French Open in June, was made to work hard by the reigning Wimbledon champion.
The Czech ace broke her opponent in the very first game but Sharapova showed greater intensity towards the end to prevail in a contest that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.
Deciding set
Sharapova broke her opponent twice to claim the first set but Kvitova unleashed 15 winners in the second to force a decider.
It's probably the toughest opponent you can face in a final, that's had that success, yet you just want to focus on your side, what you do best.
The 27-year-old raised her game in the third set to lead 5-3 before serving out the match and secure her 33rd career title after Kvitova buried her return into the net.
"It was a bit of an up-and-down match I'd say - maybe not the best out of the tournament," Sharapova told the official WTA website.
"But it's never easy playing against Petra. You don't always quite get a good rhythm. She goes for a lot of shots, very deep, and she's a very good, confident player.
"I knew she'd been on a roll in the last couple of weeks. It's probably the toughest opponent you can face in a final, that's had that success, yet you just want to focus on your side, what you do best.
"She became the more aggressive player in the second set. I think I took a few too many steps back and let her play that way. But I was able to lift my game again in the third and come out with a win."
